The Hated Male Concubine

“Your Highness.”

Recalling the new fact, he felt like a chill wind blew inside his heart, so Hwawoon calmly closed his eyes. Right then, Ahjin called Hwawoon with a heavier tone. When Hwawoon turned his head and looked at her, Ahjin said,

“Your highness, you’re my master, and I’m your slave.”

“… why so sudden…”

“A master doesn’t ask a favor to their servants, Your Highness. If you want me to do something, you just need to order me.”

Only then did Hwawoon let out a small exclamation. It seemed like she said that because he might have said ‘please’ when he asked her to give some snacks to the guards earlier. When Hwawoon looked at her with a blank face, Ahjin soon continued to talk with slightly sad eyes like a person who was hurt. 

“How could a precious person like Your Highness easily say ‘please’ to someone like me…”

That’s right. Ahjin really looked like she was upset. The person, who used to busily apologize while bowing her head just when Hwawoon called her name, looked so sad when Hwawoon said ‘please’ to her. 

Looking at Ahjin’s face, Hwawoon felt the thoughts that had made him feel lonely gradually cleared up. This time, Hwawoon opened his mouth.

“Ahjin.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You might never know about this, but… you gave me something very precious to me.”

For Hwawoon, Ahjin was like a world he saved while he fought against the guilt that he was taking away someone’s life every day. Now, when he saw Ahjin smiling and talking without hesitation in front of himself, he felt like he was facing the reason he lived this life instead.

Even if someone swore at Hwawoon for being selfish after learning the truth, even if they labeled him as a brazen person, who took other people’s place to survive his life, Hwawoon felt he could say he was able to make at least one person happy in this world.

“I guarantee you. Ahjin, you should get more precious treatment from me than now.” 

Those words were the reason Ahjin burst into tears in the middle of the courtyard in Jeongan Palace. 

***

“What a tactless old man…”

After spending time looking at the nameplates presented by Gyeongsa-bang, Yihan suddenly grumbled with an irritated expression. No matter how many times he looked through the nameplates in front of him, he just felt uncomfortable and didn’t like it, so he got irritated for no reason.

“For-forgive me, Your Majesty…!”

Even though Officer Wi didn’t know the reason, he bowed because the emperor said grumpy words. Then, the emperor glared at the top of Officer Wi’s head for no reason and spoke again.  

“People said like father like son, it’s really like them. No matter how bad his son is, did he think I would ignore him if he begged me to forgive his son?” 

The unexpected words led Officer Wi to lift his head and when he tried to give a reply, he saw Eunuch Oh slowly shake his head after letting out a fake cough. Officer Wi then hurriedly closed his mouth again. He felt like something he didn’t know had happened. 

“Anyway, there’s really nothing likable from that father-son.”

“… Please calm down, Your Majesty. Lord Yeon must have been ashamed to ask that in front of you.”

“That’s why I kindly, generously brought up the topic first. But he even rejected that?”

“…”

“Did he think I wanted to forgive Yeonbin, huh?”

Still staring at the line of nameplates, Yihan murmured in a somewhat relaxed voice than before. In fact, Yihan had been in this state since he had an audience with Yeon Juwon this morning, so Officer Wi was the only one anxious, and Eunuch Oh standing next to them looked calm.

“He didn’t even realize that I made a big decision to give him a chance because of his position…”

Somehow, Yihan’s expression seemed to be sullen rather than angry the more he spoke, but Yihan, who kept glaring at the innocent nameplates with a sad expression, seemed to not even know that he was doing so. Yihan, who stayed to look at the nameplates for a long time, soon shook his hand at Officer Wi as if he was too lazy to choose anything.

The officer, who quickly walked out while wondering if another problem had occurred again, let out a long sigh and asked Eunuch Oh after Eunuch Oh followed after him.

“I can’t understand anything His Majesty said. What happened?”

“How can people like us know what’s on His Majesty’s mind? But, what can I advise you is…” 

A piece of advice from the eunuch who serves His Majesty closest? Officer Wi cocked up his ears wide to listen to the eunuch. Then, Eunuch Oh said,

“Wipe His Highness Yeonbin’s nameplate nicely.”

“His Highness Yeonbin’s… nameplate?”

“It will be used soon.”

Officer Wi’s eyes were wide open as if he had heard that the sun would rise from the west tomorrow, but Eunuch Oh only nodded once with a relaxed face and went back inside. Only Officer Wi, who was left behind, kept thinking of the implausible words for a long time.